Lace tightener

ABSTRACT

A lace tightener having a rotatable shank with handles at either end and a hook in the center to seize the laces as they are wrapped around the shank and tightened.

[ Nov. 13, 1973 United States Patent [191 Thibeault 3,197,097 7/1965Casner et 294/26 X 3,149,384 8/1964 Ryder 223/113 396,973 1/1889 24/71 3d O O w y a F 0% 13 M n mm i MB c m w Edd Twv HJA G n mm mm L.m MP 57[22] Filed: June 8, 1971 Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin AssistantExaminer-William L. Falk Att0rney-Morton, Bernard, Brown, Roberts &

' Sutherland Appl. No.: 150,979

[52] US. Cl. 223/113 A47j 51/02 223/113, 119;

ABSTRACT [51] 1nt.C1.

[58] Field of Search.;'..........................

A lace tightener having a rotatable shank with handles ateither end anda hook in the center to seize the laces as they are wrapped around theshank and tightened.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2 Claims, 5 Drawing FiguresPAIENTEBIIUV 13 I873 INVENTOR JOSEPH G. THIBEAULT LACE TIGHTENER Lacingup ice skates, ski-boots or other high top outdoor footwear is often adifficult task. Considerable force is required, particularly when thelaces are wet and the lace itself puts great pressure on the wearersfinger. Proper lacing tension is often beyond the capability of smallchildren.

Two classes of lacing aids are presently known. One type examplified byU.S. Pat. No. 3,149,384 is used after a boot is loosely laced. Thisdevice twists one or more laces about itself to tighten the laces andremains in place during use. Another class of device is a hook such asshown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,027,057 or 3,270,927.

In addition to hooking and pulling the latter discloses prying leverage.

The present invention is an improvement on the former class in beingremoveable after lacing and an improvement on the latter class inproviding an important mechanical advantage during tightening.

The invention will be further described with reference to the'drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 discloses the lace tightener being used on an ice skate;

FIG. 2 is cross section taken. on lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 after the tightener has been rotatedone half turn;

FIG. 4 is another view similar to FIG. 2 after the tightener has beenrotated one complete turn, and;

FIG. 5 is a cross section view taken on lines 55 of FIG. 2.

The structure of the lace tightener includes an elongated shank 16 whichmay be hexagonal as shown or of any other suitable cross section andhandles 12 and 14 mounted at either end. In the center of the shank ishook 18 protruding normally to the axis of the shank. The hook mayconveniently be secured in position-by counter pin 20.

In operation the tightener is oriented so that the hook is on the toeside of the skate 26 and is facing upward. The hook is fed underneathlaces 22 at their cross over point between the eyelets and the tighteneris then rotated as shown to draw both laces over and around the shank.In this tightening operation the shank functions as a capstan allowingthe handles to generate a mechanical advantage making the tighteningoperation much easier than pulling the laces by hand.

The tightening operation is begun near the toe as shown. As the laces 22below the tightener are drawn up, the laces 24 nearer the ankle are tosome degree drawn down. When the laces are tight enough the tightener isrotated the other way and the operation repeated one or more eyeletsnearer the top of the skate. The disclosed design may be altered to giveany desired degree of mechanical advantage by varying the ratio of thediameter of handles 12, 14 to the diameter of shank 16.

The distinguishing feature of the present invention is the ability totighten laces by using the capstan principle of pulling by rolling withmechanical advantage around a shank, without the heretofore knownlimitation of tension on the upper portion of the lace. Morespecifically, the lace is rolled around a capstan whose axis is parallelto the axis or axes of the lace or laces being tightened.

As is disclosed in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the laces are wrapped around theshank of the tightener in a counterclockwise helix on one side of thehook 18, and in a clockwise helix on the other side of, hook 18. Thelaces bind on both sides producing, in effect, a double Capstan effectso that drawing upwardly on the tightener will tighten the lower lacesand not cause the lace to slip through the tightener until theresistance on the upper lace equals that on the lower lace.

I claim:

1. A device for tightening the laces such as pass between opposedeyelets of footwear which comprises:

a. a rotatable elongated shank adapted to be disposed parallel to andadjacent said laces,

b. said shank having a polygonal cross-section extending substantiallythe entire length of the shank,

c. handles at the extremities of said shank adapted for rotation by thehands of the user and rigidly mounted on said shank,

d. lace hooking means in the center of said shank,

e. said means projecting outwardly from said shank and adapted to holdsaid laces and draw them around said shank as said shank is rotated,

thereby tightening the portion of the laces between the point ofrotation and the toe of the footwear.

2. A device for tightening the; laces such as pass between opposedeyelets of footwear which comprises:

a. a rotatable and elongated shaft,

b. said shaft adapted to be disposed parallel to and adjacent saidlaces,

c. handles at the extremities of said shank rigidly mounted on saidshank and adapted for rotation by the hands of said user,

(I. lace hooking means in the center of said shank,

e. said lace hooking means projecting outwardly from said shank andadapted to hold a selected one of said laces and draw it around saidshank as said shank is rotated,

f. said lace being wrapped around said shank in a clockwise helix on oneside of said hooking means and in a counterclockwise helix on the otherside of'said hooking means,

g. said laces binding on said shank in said opposed helixes,

whereby, said device may be drawn against said laces to tighten theportion of the laces between the hooking means and the toe of thefootwear.

1. A device for tightening the laces such as pass between opposedeyelets of footwear which comprises: a. a rotatable elongated shankadapted to be disposed parallel to and adjacent said laces, b. saidshank having a polygonal cross-section extending substantially theentire length of the shank, c. handles at the extremities of said shankadapted for rotation by the hands of the user and rigidly mounted onsaid shank, d. lace hooking means in the center of said shank, e. saidmeans projecting outwardly from said shank and adapted to hold saidlaces and draw them around said shank as said shank is rotated, therebytightening the portion of the laces between the point of rotation andthe toe of the footwear.
 2. A device for tightening the laces such aspass between opposed eyelets of footwear which comprises: a. a rotatableand elongated shaft, b. said shaft adapted to be disposed parallel toand adjacent said laces, c. handles at the extremities of said shankrigidly mounted on said shank and adapted for rotation by the hands ofsaid user, d. lace hooking means in the center of said shank, e. saidlace hooking means projecting outwardly from said shank and adapted tohold a selected one of said laces and draw it around said shank as saidshank is rotated, f. said lace being wrapped around said shank in aclockwise helix on one side of said hooking means and in acounterclockwise helix on the other side of said hooking means, g. saidlaces binding on said shank in said opposed helixes, whereby, saiddevice may be drawn against said laces to tighten the portion of thelaces between the hooking means and the toe of the footwear.